


A Tale of Truth

by AshWinterGray



Series: My Son, My Jaylad [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Forehead Touching, Hugs, Talking, Truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:42:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25520785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshWinterGray/pseuds/AshWinterGray
Summary: After two months, Jason Todd has gone through therapy and Bruce Wayne has woken up. Punchline tried her best to destroy two Bats, but the rest of their family is determined to make it a bonding experience. To fix past relationships.But where the heck is Punchline?Can Bruce and Jason actually talk things out? Honestly. No. No they really can't. Good thing their family has decided to do it for them.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: My Son, My Jaylad [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812244
Comments: 12
Kudos: 90





	A Tale of Truth

The day Bruce Wayne returned to the Manor, deemed well enough to go back out as Batman, Jason opted to spend the day Harley and Ivy. Neither questioned when Jason showed up, just went about their day. It was something Jason was incredibly grateful for.

And, hey, he got to meet Lucy Quinzel too. She was apparently visiting. Which, of course, meant Jason was roped into a girl’s day with the others.

“You need to do something about your split ends, Jason,” Ivy stated as she brushed through his curls. “Conditioner would do you wonders.”

“Never seen the point,” Jason shrugged.

The three girls gave a gasp.

“Jay! I thought I taught you better!” Harley huffed. “Hygiene, Jay! Hygiene!”

“You don’t want to be gross,” Lucy scrunched her nose, gaze intense as she painted Jay’s nails. “You’ll never get a girlfriend that way.”

“Never had a problem before,” Jason grumbled.

Ivy lightly whacked Jason upside the head.

“What? Having girl night without me?”

“Auntie Cat!”

Selina smiled, accepting a hug from Lucy with a laugh. I Ivy and Harley seemed surprised to see Steph and Cass behind Selina, neither said anything. Ivy had flowers weaved into all their hair before the group decided to leave for the night. Jason felt ten times more relaxed when he finally returned to the Manor.

“Jaylad.”

Bruce sounded so relieved that Jason couldn’t help but turn around. Attie was half asleep in his arms, and there was an expression on his face that made Jason do a double take. It was almost a smile. No, it was definitely a smile.

“Hey, dad. I’m home.”

Bruce’s grin only seemed to grow, becoming a proper grin as he walked down the stairs and plucked a daisy from Jason’s hair. Jason plucked the daisy from Bruce’s hand and placed it behind Attie’s ear.

“You had better take care of her,” Jason warned as Attie snuggled closer to her father.

“I will do my best, for all of you, Jay,” Bruce cupped Jason’s face with his free hand. “I can’t promise I’ll be the best at it.”

“We both know I’m a already a terrible son, Bruce.”

“No,” Bruce moved his hand to Jason’s neck, tugging his son closer in a mock attempt at a hug. “Jason. What happened was never your fault. You need to believe that, Jaylad.”

Jason let out a sigh through his nose, pressing his forehead against Bruce’s own. He only had a moment to wonder if Bruce understood the gesture he was trying to convey because Bruce’s breath hitched. Of course the detective would figure out just what Jason was trying to convey. He was a detective, after all. He may not have trained with the same teachers, but they had both been all over the world.

In some cultures, forehead touches were a sign of the deepest love possible. Even beyond that of romantic love.

“I don’t know if I can, just yet,” Jason admitted, eyes shut. “But I’m willing to try. If you are.”

“Yes. I am.”

\-----------------------------

To say Bruce was in awe was an understatement. He hadn’t seen Tim sleep so peacefully or deeply in quite some time.

“He trusts Cass and Jason the most,” Dick explained with a chuckle at Bruce’s face. “Enough to sleep by their side, at least. You’ll need to have that conversation with Tim, too. And Damian. Preferably sooner rather than later.”

Bruce scrubbed a hand over his face, glaring as his oldest vaulted over the couch to sit by his side. A short distance away, Jason lay on the chaise lounge, book in hand as Tim slept peacefully at his side.

“I can hardly talk to Jason, let alone Athanasia,” Bruce admitted.

“Yeah, but it’s still necessary,” Dick shrugged. “We all messed up, Bruce. I threw Jason in Arkham when I should have realized the Pit still had hold of him. And I know Tim handless loss horribly, but I brushed him off and only made the situation worse. I didn’t stop Damian from lashing out at Tim. That’s on me, but we’ve spent the last two months working on it. Together.”

“With Harley.”

“Hey, don’t get uppity,” Dick held up his hands. “I was against it at first. Selina and I fought for hours until I consented.”

Bruce eyed Dick. “Why _did_ Jason get put in your custody? I can’t see him agreeing.”

“Well, in his defense, he was having a pretty mind-shattering realization,” Dick scoffed, only laughing as Bruce lifted his feet off the coffee table. “None of us are sure if Jason was even all there when the conversation happened. Surprisingly enough, it was Ollie who recommended that Jason go back to the Manor under my care rather than prison. He pointed out that Jason may be claustrophobic if we put him in isolation like they initially planned. Our best bet is that Roy told him some stuff.”

“Claustrophobic?”

Here, Dick’s expression became pained. Like he’d just received a punch to the gut.

“We were wrong about the Pit bringing Jason back,” Dick whispered softly, gaze drifting to his brothers. “Tim got some information when he went to fetch Attie. Talia had files upon files. Tim was going to give them to you when you got back, but he had a Titans job. She concluded that Jason clawed his way out of his own grave. Maybe six months after he died. Tim’s been cross-referencing things to figure what could have caused it. He spent a year on the streets before Talia found him, then he spent an unknown amount of time in a catatonic state, training to kill, before Talia tossed him in the Pits because Ra’s al Ghul deemed him a lost cause.”

Bruce felt his heart stop. Maybe literally. His son had…? Why hadn’t he looked into it? Why hadn’t he checked? He _knew_ Talia was involved. He _knew_ there were pieces missing to the puzzle. But it had been so much easier to pretend Jason wasn’t the son he lost.

Yet another way he failed.

“Bruce, there’s one other thing you need to know,” Dick stood tugging at Bruce’s arm. “About Jason as Robin.”

Dick led them to the Batcave where Steph and Cass were training together. Steph had clearly gotten better under Cass’ guidance. The display case for Jason’s Robin costume only brought bile to his throat now. Too many truths had unearthed themselves.

When Dick stopped, he stopped at a little table that was encased in glass. There was an inscription.

**Proof of Innocence**

Cass and Steph stopped their sparing in the background, watching as Bruce took in their new memorial to Jason Todd. Bruce paid them no mind. This time, he did end up retching.

Pictures of Jason as Robin. Of the night Bruce regretted only second to the days each of his partners died. His children.

Jason Peter Todd Wayne had not killed Felipe Garzonas.

“Tim took those pictures, B,” Dick explained. “He-he had no idea that you didn’t believe Jason was innocent. And the scene had been so horrible that Tim hid them away. He kept them.”

“I failed him, Dick.”

“Yeah. But they’re willing to try again. Are you?”

\-----------------------------------

Bruce eyed the crowbars questioningly. “Jason?”

“Relax, B, I’m just taking some advice.”

This did not ease Bruce at all. Jason handed him the first crowbar before continuing to pass the others to each family member. Even little Attie got one, though she was ‘only allowed to swing once’, and Leslie was watching carefully.

Finally crowbar in hand, Jason revealed his purpose for this meeting. By swinging the crowbar at his Robin Suit’s display case with a scream of rage, fury, and pain that stirred the bats that resided in the Batcave.

Tim swung next, giving a similar cry, followed by Steph and Cass. Jason gave Bruce a grin as their family slowly joined in, all giving cries of their own. It took Bruce a moment to realize that Jason wanted them to treat his display as a sort of punching bag to get rid of their anger.

He followed suit.

Attie got her hit in and was pulled away by Alfred. Selina had to opted out as to not stress herself or the baby. But the rest kept at it. The glass was meant to sustain anything and everything. Even Superman and Wonder Woman’s strength. So at some point, they all had to stop or risk straining themselves.

“One more, just for fun,” Jason swung once more. “Okay, I’m good.”

“That was…oddly therapeutic,” Damian admitted.

“Yeah, Harley told me about she and Ivy used to purge anything the Joker gave her after a break-up,” Jason chuckled, flopping back onto the training mat. “One time she blew up his base just to spite him. Figured we could take advantage of our own little gift from the Joker.”

\--------------------------------

“Still nothing on Punchline?”

Tim barely turned to acknowledge him. “No. Though Harley seems pretty convinced she’s dead or dying. Best guess, he’ll use her to make a spectacle.”

Bruce nodded, watching Tim type away.

“Dick said you had some things I should see?”

Tim still didn’t stop typing, simply going on handed and holding up a flashdrive.

“Tim.”

Bruce did take the flashdrive, but he pocketed the thing and grabbed his son’s hand before he could return to typing. He used his other hand to grip the back of his son’s head. Gently, probing his son to look at him.

“This can wait.”

Tim looked as if he was going to protest, but he glanced to the computer. He supposed it could. It was only a simple update to the Watch Tower that wouldn’t take too long to do. Maybe Bruce just wanted to go through the information with Tim.

“Son, I think there is a lot we need to talk about,” Bruce began.

Tim felt his brain short circuit. “Let’s not. Say we did. And laugh about it later.”

“Tim-”

“No, Bruce, I forgave you,” Tim finally spun to face the man. “Really. There wasn’t really anything to forgive anyways. I don’t handle loss well. Never have. And you’ve been there for me when it counted. And I’ll admit part of me is still mad at Dick, but even he was right. Maybe I should have gone to therapy. What happened to me wasn’t your fault. And it wasn’t Dick’s fault. I wish you would all stop blaming yourselves.”

“I’ll stop blaming myself when all my children are safe from any and all harm,” Bruce stated.

Tim gave Bruce a _look_ for that one. It only made Bruce’s smile widen.

“So, what is it you wished to show me?”

Tim accepted the flashdrive back without any fuss.

“I guess we should probably discuss Attie first,” Tim mumbled, more to himself than Bruce. “Unlike Damian, Attie was conceived through, er, unconventional means.”

Bruce eyed Tim.

“Talia drugged you,” Tim stated flatly. “Only, she had to use a bunch of drugs because of your immunity to so many, and the repercussions ended up affecting Attie’s health. Her immune system is worse than mine, and I don’t have a spleen.”

Bruce made a sound of distress at the reminder.

“Leslie think’s she’ll get better over time, but she’ll be stuck with this her whole life,” Tim continued, not daring to press the issue any further. “From what I could gather, Talia let her ‘play dates’ with Damian, Mara, and a catatonic Jason, but then she vanished. It was the beginning of Damian and Mara’s feud. Turns out, Ra’s decided they were too soft with Attie and had her sent away. She was with some of the League’s best doctors, but Ra’s absolutely refused to let her near the Pits.”

“She was just as much a failure as his own son,” Bruce concluded. “I’m glad you found her, Tim.”

“I wish I could say I did it for you, Bruce. But we both know that’s a lie.”

That kind of stung.

\-------------------------

In a way, Jason words had Bruce reeling. Jason had followed orders in Ethiopia, only wanting to help his mom. Shelia Haywood had betrayed her son. The Joker had known all this, wanting to break Jason. The Joker had succeeded.

All this time…Bruce though Jason had been reckless. Just another way Bruce had failed his son. His Jay-lad.

“Jay-”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think over everything that happened, B,” Jason cut Bruce off, still not meeting his gaze. Still hunched over himself. “It…hasn’t been easy. Harley has helped. She really has. But if we can’t accepted this. If was can’t talk this out, I’ll leave. Just…just say the word and I’ll go.”

“No,” Bruce lunged forward, grabbing his son’s shoulders. “No. Jay-lad. Stay. I-I can’t-”

Bruce’s grip grew tighter. Shakier. Jason’s eyes could only widen. All his life, Bruce had never been very good with words. He could fake it like many great actors, but Bruce had always been one for action.

“I’ll stay,” Jason promised. “I’ll stay. On a few conditions.”

“Name them,” Bruce prompted, locking eyes with Jason.

“One, I want to continue my sessions with Harley,” Jason began. “I realize she doesn’t have the best history, but I may not have even been here when you woke up had it not been for her.”

“Done.”

Jason swallowed. “You’re not going to like this next one.”

Bruce stayed silent, prompting Jason to continue.

“Should I fall back into madness, I need you to promise me,” Jason whispered, shutting his eyes. “Promise me you will do whatever it takes to stop me.”

Jason knew, deep down, that Bruce could not promise that. Not after everything that had happened between them. Which is why Tim made the promise for Bruce. Not that Bruce needed to know that. No one but Cass and Alfred needed to know. And that was fine with Jason.

“Jay-lad-”

“Don’t worry about that last one, B, okay?” Jason placed his forehead against Bruce’s shoulder. “I’ll stay, Dad. Promise.”

\---------------------------------

Harley was just out for a walk. One of her usual routes with Lou and Bud. She knew Ivy was using the green to keep an eye on her all the while. Her route was specifically out of the way just so that no one would see her. No one important, at least.

Lou gave a whine.

“What’s wrong?” Harley glanced to her companion as Bud began to whine too. “Something over there?”

Harley pulled out a gun, slowly creeping over to the spot as her hyenas began to growl. As she turned the corner, Harley let out a horrified scream. The green reacted immediately, pulling Harley and the hyenas to safety. But the image was already engrained into Harley’s mind.

She’d found Punchline.

**Author's Note:**

> So, my original plan for the next book in this series currently sucks. Like, really badly. So I'm going to put this series in Hiatus until I can get my head on straight. I got a direction, but I need to work out the details to give you guys a quality conclusion to this story, ya know?


End file.
